In Hope of Defense
by MrSparky6277
Summary: The death game, or at least that's what people call it. Aiden was trying to open his girlfriend, Lucy, up to the world of gaming outside of casual gaming. Now he's stuck her into a world that she isn't equip for. Aiden will take it upon himself to not only defend Lucy, but to clear the game as well, but has this beta tester's luck ran out?
1. Chapter 1: The Death Game

**Hey everyone! So, starting my first story under SAO. I'm using the anime storyline, obviously, and I'm using the dubbed version for any conversations. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoy :)**

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><p>The TV in his room played some kind of news broadcast about VRMMOs and the new Sword Art Online game, but Aiden couldn't care less about it. He had been one of the lucky 10,000 who could secure a copy of the game, and better yet he had secured two copies. Why did he need two you might ask? Well, while Aiden was an avid gamer, his girlfriend, Lucy, was just a casual gamer. Aiden thought that with the new technology of VRMMOs he could finally get her more interested in gaming. Aidan himself was an American teenager who had moved to Japan, because of his father had gotten a new job in the country. He was just lucky enough to find Lucy, who was in a similar position. Even better, she was the same age as him. Aiden was a sixteen year-old teenager with medium length, dirty blonde hair. <strong>(Around the same length as Kirito's, except more wavy and smooth than sharp and jagged)<strong>. His eyes were a green, which suited his hair well. He stood around 6' 1" and had a skinny built to him. Despite this, he was still somewhat muscular and weighed around one hundred fifty pounds. He was also a beta tester, but Lucy didn't care enough to try to become one. Aiden still tried to convince her though. As the clock ticked over to 1:00 pm, the brunet grabbed his Nervegear and put it on. He then said the words that would open him up to a whole new world. "Link Start!"

Different colored lights passed by him, and the game logged him in. Being a beta tester, Aiden's avatar had already been created. His in game name read the same as his last name. Chosaint. He suggested that Lucy do the same and name her avatar Ruhe. It wouldn't be the most original, but this way they both knew who to message. The screen read, "Welcome to Sword Art Online!" As the game dropped him into the world. His eyes took a little bit of time to adjust to his surroundings, before he could actually see. The starting area looked just the same as it did in the beta test. He looked at dark purple tunic the game started all players with. He decided that his primary color in the game should be purple, so he choice that to be his hair and eye color. He then saw the leather chest plate strapped to him. "I really wish I could've keep my old gear." Aiden thought to himself. "I hate this starter crap." He looked around to see more and more players spawning into the world for the first time. "Now I just need to find Lucy." Aiden looked around for a bit, before he saw a player with a blue tunic and long black hair.

The purple haired teen walked up to the stranger and asked, "He could you help me out real quick?"

He teen turned around, to reveal his dark colored eyes. "Ya, what'd need?"

"I need you to throw me in the air, so I can find my girlfriend." Chosaint replied.

"Do you mean IRL girlfriend or someone you met here, because if you met her here there's a good chance she's actually a guy."

"No, no, no, no, no. IRL girlfriend."

"Oh, then why don't you just message her?" The teen with dark hair asked.

"She's more of a casual gamer, and doesn't really know where anything is." Purple responded.

"Ahh, I see. Ya, I can help just put a foot in my hand." The player with dark eyes then crunched down and locked his hands into place.

"Thanks." The sixteen year-old said as he stepped into the boy's hands. "I'm Chosaint by the way."

"Kirito. Nice to meet you." Kirito then launched Chosaint into the air.

"RUHE!" The teen in the air called out. A girl with pink hair turned towards the voice, and waved at him. Chosaint waved back, but then he realized that he didn't have a landing strategy.

"I got ya!" Kirito said as he tried to catch the falling teen. Unfortunately, Kirito's strength level was only level one, as was everyone else's, and the dark haired teen collapsed under Chosaint's weight, causing both to slam into the ground.

"Nice try." The teen in purple said sitting on top of the boy in blue.

"Thanks."

Chosaint got up and helped Kirito to his feet. "Hey, you weren't in the beta test too?"

"Ya, I was." Kirito admitted.

"Thought you looked familiar." Chosaint said with a smile.

"Ya, you should probably get going through, Ruhe's probably waiting for you."

"Probably. Thanks again." Chosaint said as he began to walk away.

"Wait a sec!" The teen in blue said.

"Ya?"

"Add me, so that you can repay me for helping you out." Kirito said with a smile. He then open up his menu and sent a friend request, which Chosaint gladly accepted.

"See ya around." The purple eyed teen said as he waved goodbye.

"Bye!" The black haired teen called out. "Message me if you ever need help!"

"Will do!" The purple haired teen called back.

It only took about a minute for Chosaint to find his girlfriend. She was in the beginner gear that was common for female character, which was colored a bright red. "Made your clothes the same color as your real hair ehh?" Chosaint asked.

"Ya, gotten keep something original, right?" She replied. She had short pink hair, and dark blue eyes. She stood at around 5' 8". "I see you haven't changed anything. Well, except for your hair." It was true. Chosaint had spiky hair that angled off to the right side on his avatar, but it was still purple.

"Hey, you changed yours too." The purple clad player responded. That was true as well, as Ruhe's hair was normally straight and down to her shoulders. Another difference was that she usually had scarlet colored hair, but she keep her eye color.

"I guess you got a point." The pink haired girl said. "Now let's go in to town, and see what the vendors are selling." After adding each other to their friends list and creating a party together, Ruhe began to drag Chosaint out of the spawn area. The issue was that she had no clue where they were going, so eventually the purple haired teen led her back to the shopping district.

"Wow!" Ruhe said as she looked around at all the vendors and people. "And this is only a few of the vendors?" She asked.

"Yep, I read online that you can actually open up your own shops and buy houses once you get enough money." Chosaint answered.

"So we're definitely buying a house together right?" The pink haired girl asked.

"Probably, but it could take some time before we get enough col to buy a decent house." Ruhe looked slightly depressed at hearing this. "Don't worry though, we'll get there. For now let's buy some better weaponry. These basic swords don't do very much." Purple then pulled out the sword on his back. It was a standard one-handed short sword that was given to every player. Some people bought armor or healing items with the five hundred col they're given to start with, but Chosaint thought the best idea would be to buy a weapon so that you can earn more money.

"Well, what weapon should I get?" Ruhe asked.

"Let's just look around and see what fits you." Chosaint answered. After a bit of looking around, they found a vendor selling cheap weapons and shields. As the two shopped, a familiar black haired player ran passed the two. The purple haired player watched a red haired guy run after Kirito as he turned a corner into an alleyway.

"Someone you know?" The teen's girlfriend asked.

"Ya, he's the guy that threw me into the air so I could find you." He answered.

"Seem nice." She replied sarcastically.

"Well he did try to catch me."

"Tried." The pink haired girl pointed out.

"Whatever, just buy a weapon." Chosaint said pouting slightly.

"Well what about that one?" Ruhe asked pointing to a halberd. The vendor took it off the wall, and handed it to the girl, who had a great amount of difficulty holding it up. "I think it's a bit too heavy." She struggled to say. Chosaint helped her give the weapon back to the NPC selling it.

"Try this." The NPC recommended handing her a short sword made of steel. The handle of it was wrapped in pink leather. He also gave her an average size iron shield. The girl slashed the sword a few times before smiling.

"I'll take it." The trading menu popped up, to show the pair cost 400 col. Ruhe accepted the trade and then looked at her boyfriend. "Your turn."

Chosaint already knew what he wanted and quickly picked out a small wooden shield along with a dagger. He purchased the weapons for 450 col and instantly equipped them. "Why a dagger?" Ruhe asked.

"I prefer to use his and run attacks, the shield doesn't weigh me down much, and is just a safety precaution." He replied as he flipped the dagger into a reverse grip and slashed it a few times.

"Well, it does suit you." She then stood on the toes and gave him a quick kiss on the check. "That reminds me, can't you get married in this game?" She asked.

"Ya, but now I don't have the money for a ring." Chosaint responded. "Maybe after a little while we'll get married, but for now we should start training." Purple then began to lead Pink to the fields outside of the city.

"Alright, just block the boar's charge with your shield and then use a sword skill to strike it down." Chosaint said. The pair had been training for a while, and Ruhe was starting to understand the basics of fighting. The sun in the sky was beginning to set though as the clock ticked over to 5:00 pm. The boar charged at the girl, who hide behind her shield. The beast slammed it tusks into the piece of iron, which threw Ruhe off balance slightly, but the boar was even more stunned. "Now use a sword skill!" He called out. Ruhe regained her balance, and brought her sword back. The weapon began to glow red as she plunged the blade in the boar's back. The enemy stopped in it tracks and exploded, giving Ruhe a bit of experience points.

"Yay! I did it!" She called out in excitement.

"Congrates, but you're gonna have to get better if you're going to fight to clear boss floors." Chosaint responded, which caused Ruhe to pout slightly.

"Can't you ever be happy for me?"

"Sure. Congrates Ruhe, you did awesome." Purple said to his girlfriend.

"Thanks." She replied as she skipped up to him and gave him a quick kiss. Chosaint then heard the sound of an enemy spawning right behind him. He turned around to see another boar in front of him.

"Ruhe, take a few steps to the left." His girlfriend did what he told her to do right as the boar charged forward. Chosaint dove over the beast and stabbed it in the back of its head, killing it. The experience screen popped up to show that he had gotten an item.

"What'd ya get?" Pink asked as she walked up to her boyfriend.

"Looks like an uncommon item." He responded. "A purple hair dye item. It lets me change the color of my hair."

"You couldn't do that already?" She asked.

"Nope, have to get dye. I'm sure someone will buy this for a decent price too."

"Paying money for dye?"

"Yep, it's not easy to find. And it's called col not money." Chosaint corrected as he walked over towards a tree.

"Whatever." Ruhe then followed him as he sat down under its branches. She sat next to him and the purple haired teen wrapped his right arm around her. "The scenery in this game is pretty though."

"Ya it is." He responded. The two sat in silence for a while just taking in the surroundings. "I should probably get off for a bit and get something to eat." Chosaint said as he opened up his menu.

"Ya, me too." Ruhe replied as she began looking for the log off button. "Hey, can you find your log off button?" She asked.

"No, is yours gone too?" The boy asked.

"Ya, could it be a bug?"

"Maybe, but if there wasn't a log off button then we probably would've been kicked off the server already."

"The GM isn't responding either." Ruhe said getting a bit panicked. "Can't we take off the Nervegear?"

"No, we can't move our bodies, and my parents are out."

"Ya, mine are too." The girl with pink hair said.

"Something isn't right here."

"Why?"

"They'd put out an announcement or kick us off if something this bad went wrong. I don't think this is a bug." Purple said worried.

"What could it be then?" That's when the bell in the spawn area began to ring, and the pair were teleported back to the bell tower. As they looked around they noticed everyone else was being teleported as well. Ruhe weaved her hand into Chosaint's as she was slightly scared. As the bell stopped, Ruhe noticed a red warning sign. The sign then began to spread until it consumed the sky. A red ooze began to fall from the sky, and it looked a lot like blood. By this point, Ruhe was clutching onto her boyfriend's arm.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." He reassured her.

The ooze then began to form together and spark, until it formed a giant figure in a cloak. Chosaint was right. Something was definitely wrong.

"Attention, players." The figure that many assumed to be the GM began. "Welcome to my world."

"What's he mean by my world?" Purple thought.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. At this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

"Isn't he the guy who made this game?" Ruhe asked.

"Ya, he is." Chosaint responded.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat… This is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the Nervegear. Should this be attempted the transmitter inside the Nervegear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

"Is he serious!?" Ruhe asked about as shocked as everyone else.

"I doubt he's kidding." Chosaint replied.

"But the Nervegear can actually do that, can it?" Chosaint didn't reply though. "Aiden!"

"Yes, it could. It works like a microwave and could actually kill you if it was designed to."

The GM continued to talk about how many people had tried removing the Nervegear and ended up killing their loved ones. Apparently 213 people died because of this already. Enough to classify Kayaba as a serial killer as is. He then went on to explain that you could no longer revive a player, and that if you died in the game. You died in real life. Kayaba then explained that the only way to escape from his nightmare was to clear the game. All 100 floors. He then told everyone to check their inventory for a present from him. Aiden and Lucy both looked into the mirror, only to be consumed by a bright light. As the light faded the looked to see each other's real world appearance. "How did he…" Ruhe began.

"Do this?" Chosaint finished for her. "The Nervegear has a built in signaling device, so it can see your face. It also required you to pat down your body, so it could figure out what you're shaped like." Aiden's normal dirty blonde hair had returned to him as had Ruhe's long, scarlet hair. "Akihiro then started explaining why he had done this, but Chosaint didn't care. Ruhe later explained to him that he did it as a sick form of entertainment. To build a new world and interact within it. His explanation only pissed Aiden off more. The giant figure then disappeared and the sky returned to its usual color. Everyone was silent for a second, until everyone panicked.

"We have to go." Chosaint said to his girlfriend as he grabbed her hand.

"Where?" She asked.

"A different town so we can get experience. If we can do the easy quests first, we can get stronger than everyone and beat the game. That's the only way we can live, and things like experience and col aren't unlimited. If we head to the next town, we can also kill the monsters there alone instead of competing with the thousands of players who'll be in the fields around the Town of Beginnings." The pair then ran out of the starting area and out of the gates of the first town. Where Ruhe stopped him.

"Why are you stopping?"

"This can't be real?" She said.

"Lucy, trust me it is. On top of that, it took months for the beta testers to get to floor eight. We're going to be here for a while." Aiden admitted. Fear shot through the girl's eyes as tears began to fill them. She then dropped to the ground in front of him.

"I can't do this. There's no way I'm going to survive." She sobbed.

Chosaint crouched down in front of her and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay." He assured her. "You'll live through this. I'll make sure of it. There's no way that I'm letting you die in this game. After all, it's my fault you're here anyways." The couple then stayed in silence for a little while

"You better not die on me then." The girl said wiping her eyes and looked up at him. "I won't be able to live without you."

"And I couldn't get through without you." He assured her back. "But right now, we can't think about that. We have to get to the next town. Okay?" The girl with scarlet hair then nodded and stood up.

"By the way, I'm happy I'm here with you instead of in the real world and just looking down at your body." Chosaint smiled and kissed his girlfriend. The teen opened up his inventory and looked at the purple dye item. He then looked up at his girlfriend and understood what she wanted him to do without even saying anything. He deleted the dye.

"We can always get you looking back to the way you were later." The teen in the purple shirt said as cheerfully as he could.

"No, forget how I looked. I probably look better this way anyways." She answered.

"My thoughts exactly." That's when Kirito sprinted passed the pair. "Looks like we're not the only ones with this idea." The boy said as he sprinted after the boy with black hair, with Ruhe close behind. As the younger teen killed a wolf on the path, the couple passed him. Chosaint looked back, to see that the boy looked a lot like Kirito. "That's what he looks like." The dirty blonde thought.

"That the guy who helped you earlier?" Ruhe asked.

"Ya, I think so."

The three continued down the path towards the next city, but Kirito didn't seem too pleased to have two other people in the new town. This wasn't the main thing on Chosaint's mind though, only one thing that he could think about we're the words he had just said. "We're going to be here for a while."

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><p><strong>So how was that? I know it isn't the most action packed way to start off, but I liked it. Also, if anytime is ever bold and in parentheses then its an Author Note. I do hope everyone liked the first of probably many chapter, and be sure to show your support if you did. Finally, if you ever have an idea for a boss, send it into me, because I will be exploring many floors the show did bother with. Don't forget to leave a review or message me with any questions or anything. Bye :D<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: The Start of a Long Road

**Hey everyone! How are you all? I'm alright. Anyways, not much news in my life, which is what the first AN always ends up being about, but I do want to give a shout out and a big thank you to my beta reader, Ordo-Silver. Make sure you go ahead and check him out. Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>Chosaint awoke to the light shining in from the window in the room he and Ruhe rented. They still didn't have the money to buy a house, but nobody did. They were still on the first floor. It had only been a few weeks since the death game had begun, and floor two still seemed a long way off. The dirty blonde had been leveling up as much as he could, and would probably be on the team to start killing bosses. Ruhe on the other hand wasn't doing as well. The combat system of SAO seemed too foreign for the girl. Despite this, she was still leveling up, just not quickly. Ruhe had said that if combat didn't work out, she could always level up other skills and open up a shop or something. This seemed like a much better fit for the casual gamer. Chosaint looked to his left to see his girlfriend sleeping peacefully, that was until an awfully loud noise woke her up. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY!?" A man yelled.<p>

"What was that?" The red head asked wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"I don't know." Her boyfriend answered. "I'm gonna go figure out though." The teen then stood up and walked down to the lobby of the apartments.

"I'm sorry sir, but you have insufficient col." The NPC receptionist replied. "You'll have to stay somewhere else." This was when Chosaint walked into the lobby. He could see a red hair player along with a few other people glaring down the NPC.

"What's all the noise about?" Chosaint asked sleepily.

"Oh, hey sorry. This NPC jacked up its prices as soon as we got here, so now we can't afford a room." The red haired player said.

"Well, how much more do you need?" The half-asleep teen asked.

"Only about fifty." He replied. Chosaint then opened up his menu and sent fifty col to the player.

"Hey, thanks man. I'm Klein by the way." Klein then stuck out his hand, which Chosaint shook.

"Chosaint." Klein then paid for the rooms that he and his friend would most likely occupy for a little while. That's when Ruhe managed to get down the stairs and into the lobby.

"Did you find out what's happening?" She asked.

"Ya, don't worry about it." Her boyfriend replied. Klein then pulled Chosaint closer to him, and began whispering to him.

"Who is that lovely lady?" He asked.

"That would be my girlfriend." The speed focused player responded. Klein poked his head up and looked over at the red head, who simply waved.

"You certainly got lucky there." He said with a smile.

"Ya, whatever." Chosaint then pushed Klein off of him and returned to Ruhe's side.

"So anyways, we we're gonna go hunting in a big if you guys wanted to come along." The dirty blonde looked over to his girlfriend who simply nodded.

"Sure, we're in." However, after the couple had gathered their equipment and returned to the lobby, the scarlet haired girl began to fell dizzy. "You okay?" The boy asked as his girlfriend used to wall to support herself.

"Ya, I think I'm just a bit…" her sentence stopped there as she began to collapse to the floor. The dirty blonde then rushed over and caught her before she hit the ground.

"What the hell is happening?" Klein asked worried.

"I don't know." Chosaint responded.

"You don't think someone took off her Nervegear do you?"

"No, if they did she would logged off by now." Chosaint then picked the girl up, and carried her back to the room. He then laid her down on the bed, and the guild followed in behind them. After trying to figure out what had happened to the girl, a similar thing happened to one of Klein's friends.

"Okay, this is really weird now." Klein said.

"There has to be a reasonable explanation." Chosaint retorted.

"What about if someone's using a sleep item or something?"

"No, they couldn't be. This is a safe zone so they couldn't use it."

"Could it be a hacker?" One of the guild members asked.

"Nobody would hack this game, and I doubt Kayaba would let them either." The dirty blonde said shooting down that idea.

"What about if something's happening to their real life bodies?" Klein asked.

"Like what?" Chosaint questioned.

"Well, we've probably just been sitting wherever we were when we went into the game. I doubt the government would just let us sit there though, so they're probably moving everyone to hospitals right now." The idea did make sense. Everyone in the game would probably need to be constantly monitored as well and having their bodies taken care of.

"If that's true, then we probably shouldn't do anything until we've all been moved." Sure enough, similar symptoms fell upon the rest of the group as well as every other player in the game.

-A Few Weeks Later-

As the time passed by, Chosaint and Ruhe had become close friends with Klein and the Fuurinkazan. **(Klein's guild) **They seemed like strong enough players, but Chosaint doubted they'd be ready to fight the first boss. The couple had been invited to join the Fuurinkazan, but they both declined. They preferred to be able to do whatever they wanted to, but we're often in a party with the guild. Klein told them that the invitation was always open if they every decided to join. Despite having been happy at times, everyone wanted to leave the game and return to the real world. What worried the speed type player the most was the time it was taking to clear the game. It had been a rough first month, mainly because of the death toll. Around two thousand players had already died, and they were still on floor one. If that trend stayed, there wouldn't be anyone left by the time they got to floor five. While everyone tried not to think about the players that had died, it was difficult to not notice the death toll slowly rising in the newspaper every day. Even though Chosaint and Ruhe had hoped it was simply inexperience killing people, many beta testers had died as well. Chosaint, Klein, and Ruhe themselves had already had their fair shares of close calls when it came to dying. There was the time they were ambushed by a pack of high leveled wolves for instance.

The three, along with the rest of the Fuurinkazan, had been hunting anything they could find in the woods. Then, around ten wolves had attacked the party. It wouldn't have been an issue had the wolves not been the same level as Chosaint, and he was the strongest in the party. As they fought them off, on was able to tackle Klein and pin him to the ground. As the beast tried to rip the man's face off, Klein was trying to push it off with his hands. Luckily, Chosaint was able to sprint over to the pinned player and tackle the wolf off. He then ended the enemy with a quick stab to the face. They never did go back to hunt in those woods again.

Then there were instances when someone would just miss an important strike, and put themselves in danger. This happened to Ruhe though, who still had issues controlling sword skills. Chosaint had lost count of how many limbs he had lost protecting the girl. After having almost been carried away by a giant vulture, that was killed by Chosaint jumping from a tree and slashing it multiple times, Ruhe no longer felt comfortable fighting. She then decided to focus on skills such as cooking and blacksmithing.

It was then announced that the strongest players in the game were going to hold a meeting about how to kill the first floor boss. Chosaint traveled back to the Town of Beginnings alone. Klein wanted to join him and become party of the front line, but Chosaint convinced him otherwise. He told the red head that someone needed to protect Ruhe while he was away, but in reality, the agility type player knew that neither Klein nor anyone in the Fuurinkazan were strong enough to fight the boss. The dirty blonde had upgraded his equipment quite a bit from a wood shield and small dagger. He now used a small iron buckler for his shield. As for his dagger, he had a steel weapon now. The bladed edge was now jagged as well as curved slightly. The grip was a dark brown with a large piece of steel at the bottom. His armor had also improved. Instead of the thin leather armor he wore, he now donned iron armor. He had a chest piece as well as shoulder pads to cover his torso. He also wore shin guards, and metal gauntlets that reached halfway up his forearm. Despite the armor being made of a heavy material, it was still thin, which didn't weight him down. His strength and agility levels also helped him maintain a high speed. He hoped that he could eventually get the skill, which made it so his armor didn't weigh him down at all. If he ever got it, he would be able to wear any armor he wanted to and be able to move extremely fast at the same time. It was an extremely rare skill though and would be unlikely he would get it. As for his clothing below the armor, he wore a purple tunic with golden color trim, which slanted down to a point on the right side, which was the same direction that his hair now swept. It was also slightly longer than what he remembered, but it was alright. The left half of his forehead was uncovered, but the right half was covered by his hair, which touched the top of his right eye. His pants were a deep black that stretched down to his leather boots. As Chosaint entered the area where the meeting would be held, it was obvious he was somewhat late.

"Oh, welcome! We're just getting started." The blue haired person in front of everyone said. He must've gotten a dye item as well, only he probably used it. Chosaint then sat down next to someone who wore a cloak with the hood up.

"Hey." The teen said to the player, but didn't get a response. "Silent type I guess."

"Why waste words on pleasantries." She replied. Chosaint decided to ignore her depressing tone and look around to see if he knew anyone. Nobody looked too familiar, except for Kirito.

"We'll the kid did know where to go." He thought.

"Now where was I?" The man in front asked himself. "Oh ya, my name is Diabel. I like to consider my 'job' as Knight." Everyone then began to ridicule him saying that there weren't any actual jobs in the game.

"I doubt he meant job literally." Chosaint thought to himself.

Diabel quieted everyone and then got really serious. "Today, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." He said. "We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game." He then said that it was everyone's duty at the meeting to accomplish that goal, to which everyone agreed. To start the planning, he had everyone divide into parties of six. However, he failed to count how many people were actually at the meeting. Neither Chosaint nor the girl next to him moved. Kirito soon scooted over towards the pair.

"You guys got left out, too?" He asked.

"I wasn't left out." The girl responded. I just stayed out of it because everyone seemed to know each other already."

"I was just too lazy to move." The eldest teen admitted.

"Solo players?" Kirito asked.

"Not really, just the only one strong enough within my group." Chosaint replied.

"Then you guys want to form a party with me?" The black haired boy asked. The girl stayed stoic, and Chosaint gave an uncaring look. "He just said we can't beat the boss on our own. So just for this fight?"

The girl nodded and Chosaint said, "Better than nothing I guess." Kirito then sent invites to both of the players, whose health bars then appeared under his. The boy was in fact Kirito, and the girl was named Asuna.

The blue haired leader then began talking again, but was rudely interrupted by somebody. "Just a second!" The voice called out. A figure then jumped from the top of the bleachers, and landed in front of everyone in the crowd. He then introduced himself as Kibaou, and he apparently had an issue with beta players. Mainly because he felt that the beta testers just fought for themselves and left everyone to fend for themselves and die. The more the spikey haired punk talked, the angrier Chosaint got. As his rage got to its breaking point he tried to stand up, but Kirito and Asuna both placed a hand on one of his shoulders and forced him back to his seat. Kirito then began to look really guilty, even though Chosaint felt he shouldn't have. That's when a much calmer player came to the beta testers' defense.

"May I speak?" He asked. The man, who didn't wait for a response then stood up. He was a large man of African heritage. He had a double bladed axe on his back, which was obviously his weapon of choice. He then approached Kibaou, and towered over the player. "My name is Agil." He began. **(And yes, I'm using the dubbed name. I don't really care, because it's easier for me. Most of the script is from the subbed version though.) **"Kibaou, tell me if I have this right. You're saying that because the beta testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Correct?"

"Y-yeah." The smaller player said. That's when Agil mentioned the guidebook. He pointed out that all the info provided in it was gathered by beta testers, and that it was given away as a free item. He also said that most people got the books. The bald man then turned his attention to the crowd and began to explain that despite having the information, many people still died. Agil then brought everyone back to the topic of the boss fight. Kibaou pouted and sat back down, which gave Chosaint quite a bit of pleasure seeing the little brat being shut up.

"All right. Then, can we resume?" Diabel asked rhetorically. "The latest edition of that guide book was just issued, and it contains information on the boss. According to it, the boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He is guarded by assistants known as Ruin Kobold Sentinels. He is armed with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one enters the red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Talwar. His attack pattern changes, as well." This impressed everyone, except for the beta testers who already knew that. That's where the meeting ended, except with the addition of how items and XP would be distributed. It was a simple theory. Whoever got an item kept it, and XP would be given to the party who killed the boss. It was announced that the raid team would leave at ten in the morning tomorrow. Asuna then stood up and began to leave with Chosaint close behind. Kirito his fellow party members leaving and soon followed.

As night fell, Asuna was sitting on a ledge near the fountain in the Town of Beginnings. Asuna was ripping off pieces of what looked like stale bread. "It's pretty tasty, isn't it?" Kirito asked. As he walked up.

"Sure doesn't look tasty." Chosaint added, as he stood behind the teen.

"May we sit down?" The youngest of the three asked. The girl simply looked away, which the boys assumed was a yes. They then sat down on either side of the girl. She then looked like she was going to scoot away from Kirito, but Chosaint blocked this. Asuna simply sighed. Kirito then pulled out his own stale bread, and bit into it.

"Do you really think it's good?" The hooded girl asked.

"I sure don't." Chosaint replied and he laid down in the grass behind them.

"Of course." The black haired boy replied. "I've been eating at least one daily, ever since arriving at this town. I do change it up a little, though."

"Change it up?" Asuna asked.

"Ya, you mean like eat different foods?" The dirty blonde added.

"No, I use this." He answered. The boy then put a jar of something in between Asuna and him. The girl then touched the jar and applied the substance on her bread.

"Cream?" She asked.

"Let me try some." Chosaint said as he sat up, and retrieved a sandwich from his inventory. The other two members simply admired the food that wasn't just bread. "What, my girlfriend isn't very combat oriented."

That's when Kirito realized who Chosaint actually was. "Wait, didn't I help you the first day?" Kirito asked.

"Took you long enough to figure that out." The other male replied as he took a bite. "Thanks again by the way. Let me repay you the favor." Chosaint then fished out another two sandwiches and gave them to him party members. All three took a bit more cream, until the jar shattered, and ate their food, though Asuna ate it like a starving shark.

"The cream is a reward for a quest called "The Heifer Strives Back," one village behind us. If you want to do it, I'll show you a trick." Asuna shook her head, but Chosaint got a gleam in his eyes.

"Think of all the food Ruhe could make awesome with that cream!" He said excited.

"Well, I didn't come to this town to eat good food." Asuna retorted.

"Then, why did you?" Kirito asked.

"So I can still be me." She replied.

"What's that mean?" The speed type player asked.

"It means, I'd rather stay myself to the very end than to sit and rot away, at an inn, back in the first town. Even if I get killed by a monster, I don't want to lose to this game… To this world. No matter what."

"Wow, I never really saw it like that." The eldest party member said as he laid back down in the grass and looked up at the stars.

"Well, I would want a party member dying on me… So at the least, don't die tomorrow."

"Please, you should be worried about yourself." Chosaint said trying to lighten the mood that had become rather dark.

"What's that meant to mean?" Kirito asked as he looked back with a smile.

"It means, that I'm too awesome to get sliced in half during a boss fight. If I'm going down I'm going to destroy the entirety of at least two floors in a blaze of glory."

"Please, you couldn't even destroy the forest that you probably got lost in." Kirito replied playfully.

"You're paying for that one." Chosaint said as he got up and tackled the youngest party member. The two wrestled on the ground for a little bit, until Chosaint put Kirito in a headlock and began to give him a noogie. **(Do you know how long it took to find out how to spell that? Longer than I care to tell! Thank you Bill Murray for making up that word.) **"You regretting it now?" Chosaint asked laughing.

"Oh you haven't won yet." Kirito replied laughing as well. Asuna then stood up and walked away, but the eldest party member could see a small smile on her face.

"Let's go over it again." Kirito said.

"Do we really need to?" Chosaint asked. The raiding party was being led down a path through the woods.

"You do realize that we're fighting for our lives, right?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, but we're just back up, and we've already been through this a million times." The eldest member said over exaggerating.

"Well, we're going over it again." The black haired swordsman replied. He then went on to explain their duties as back up, but Chosaint tuned him out. While the teen was cocky, he was also nervous. Asuna was right, they were going to be fighting the most difficult enemy yet, it wasn't going to be easy. Though, the over preparation was just making him more nervous than anything. Apparently Asuna didn't know what a switch was, so Kirito began to explain it to her. The idea was, because Kirito used the heaviest weapon, he would knock away the enemies' weapons. Asuna and Chosaint would then switch in, and kill the minion. Apparently Asuna had never been in a party either, which stunned her party members.

"How could you have never been in a party before?" Chosaint asked.

"I'm more of a solo player." She replied. Both males sighed and slouched.

After explaining switching, and a whole lot of walking the raid team was finally able to reach the entrance to the boss room. "Listen up everyone." Diabel began. "I've only got one thing to say to you. Let's win! Come on!" Ending his speech, Diabel pushed open the doors to the boss room, which opened with a loud groan.

This would be the day the players of SAO would see the second floor.

**Well, next chapter will be a boss battle. Hopefully I can write that well. In other news, I did switch to a dubbed version near the end, because crunchyroll wouldn't work with me. Anyways, I'm always open for boss suggestions. Anyways, make sure to leave a review and send me a message cause I love hearing from my readers. Have a great day :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Your New World

**Hello everyone :D How are you all today? I'm fine myself, so lets get onto news. There is none. And that's the end of then ews, so I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

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><p>The room was dark. In the back, Chosaint could make out a throne, with a figure sitting on it. As the raid team walked through the corridor, he could see its glowing red eyes. That's when the entire room lit up. The monster jumped from its throne, and slammed into the ground before them. It then stood up and let out a mighty war cry as its name was displayed and heath bars shown. Illfang the Kobold Lord. It was a giant red beast, with an axe in one and a shield in the other. It had a diamond pattern painted in blue on its stomach as well as a helmet on its head. The boss's minions then spawned. Ruin Kobold Sentinels. They were little red versions of the boss, with full sets of metal armor and giant two handed maces. The enemy then charged at the raiding team. "Commence attack!" Diabel ordered as the teams began rushing forward. Kirito, Asuna, and Chosaint quickly clashed with the minions. As Diabel shouted orders, the trio were making quick work of the never ending stream of little devils. One of which jumped at Kirito, who parried the attack with a slash of his own.<p>

He then called out, "Switch!" before Chosaint could react, Asuna was already sprinting past him. She then unsheathed her rapier, and stabbed quickly into the sentinel. As the next enemy dropped down, Kirito batted that one away as well.

"This one's mine!" Chosaint yelled out as he slashed through the enemy's neck, and leaving himself behind it. The sentinel then shattered into fragments. Kirito seemed to be impressed with his team's skills. As a minion began to charge at Asuna, the eldest teen grabbed its back, and flipped over it. Landing in front of the red beast, the teen in purple gave it a strong kick to the chest, which sent it backwards towards Kirito. The black haired boy then stabbed his blade through the beast's chest. This went on for a number of times, until the boss then let out another mighty war cry, as Chosaint dispatched another minion. The teen looked behind him to see that the boss had only a bit of his last health bar left. It then threw away its weapons, and Diabel called everyone back. The leader rushed forward with his blade glowing and shield ready to defend. That's then the boss retrieved his second weapon. But it wasn't aTtalwar. It was an Nodachi. Kirito pushed a sentinel off of him, and Chosaint stabbed it through the head. "Kirito!" The eldest teen called out. "That's not a Talwar!"

"I know!" He responded. "Wait, stop!" The youngest party member called out, but he was too late. Diabel continued his charge, and Illfang began jumping pillar to pillar at high speeds. This ended with a direct strike to Diabel, which knocked the blue haired leader backwards. The boss followed this up with another strike, which sent Diabel flying once again. The rampage didn't stop there, as it landed in the middle of the raiding party and roared once more. Kirito rushed over to the injured player's side, while Chosaint and Asuna continued fighting. Chosaint could still make out bits of their conversation though.

"You were… A beat tester. Weren't you?" Diabel asked. The dirty blonde struck upwards, and knocked another mob off balance. Asuna then capitalized with four quick strikes to its back. That's when a minion tried sneaking up on Chosaint, who rolled forward to dodge its attack. Asuna, yet again, sprinted forwards and killed the beast. Another sentinel jumped down and landed a blow to Chosaint, knocking down his health bar by about a fourth. The sixteen-year-old then returned to his feet in time to extract revenge on the beast Asuna had just disarmed. He rolled, dodging an enemy that the female member of his party dispatched, and brought his knife up through the bottom of the mob's jaw. Chosaint overheard that Diabel was a beta tester as well, and asked Kirito to kill the boss for everyone. He then shattered before the eyes of both of the boys. The first time either of them had witnessed a death. The first time the game became real. This is when Chosaint saw a revelation happening inside of Kirito. He seemed to understand that everyone in this hell hole needed to survive. Not just him.

Kirito stood up, and gripped his sword. "Well, looks like we just got moved up to killing the boss." Chosaint said, as he stood next to Kirito

"I'll go too." Asuna added as she stood on the other side of the youngest member.

"Thanks." Kirito said, as the trio began rushing forward. "Use the same sequence as we did for the sentinels." Kirito ordered.

"Got it." The other two responded.

Players began to flee for Illfang, as he batted away another player. The boss's Nodachi began to glow at the same time Kirito's did. The two clashed swords, knocking both off balance. "Switch!" Kirito yelled out.

"I'm up first!" Chosaint yelled as he rushed close to Illfang. He slashed through the boss's left leg and was then behind it. He activated a sword skill, and began flashing forwards and backwards, slashing into the boss's chest. Finally, he made one last upwards slash from the front, which staggered the red demon. "Asuna, switch!" The teen in purple ordered. The girl then took his spot, and stabbed into the beast. It then retaliated by slicing diagonally at the girl. She managed to duck it, but he cloak didn't. It was torn to pieces, revealing her strawberry blonde hair, light hazel eyes, and young face. She looked to be about Kirito's age and had a fire in her eyes. She once more stabbed into the boss and sent it backwards.

"Here he comes again!" Kirito yelled out, as he stood to his feet and blocked another strike. Chosaint rushed in again, and slashed at the beast's legs, hitting one on his way behind the red demon and the other on his way back. Asuna then took over, and landed another stab to the boss's stomach. This pattern continued, as Kirito blocked swing after swing, Chosaint focused on the boss's legs, and Asuna landed devastating stabs. Finally, the strategy failed, as Kirito was hit, and thrown backward into Asuna. The pair the collided with Chosaint. Kirito's health had dropped to around a fourth of its max capacity. If this didn't end soon, the youngest party member wouldn't make it. Right as a vertical slash from the beast was about to hit the trio, someone saved them. It was the Agil. The big man with an axe. He swung it upwards, and deflected the boss's strike, knocking it away. That's when the rest of the raid team charged forward towards it.

"We'll hold him off until you recover." Agil said.

"You got it." Kirito said thankful.

The raid team continuously fought the boss. Chosaint's health recovered before anyone else's in the party, and fought off the few minions that attacked the other two. Illfang jumped into the air again, ready to kill more players, but the boy with black hair jumped to his feet. Kirito slashed the beast out of the air, and plummeting it towards the ground. Chosaint returned to Kirito's side as they made another rush at the boss. The youngest member called for Asuna's help as well, who quickly caught up to the other two. The boss's sword glowed red, and it attacked once more. Kirito batted away the strike, and Chosaint stepped in. he jumped into the air, and stabbed his dagger into the boss's head. He then kicked off of it, and landed on the ground with a backwards roll. Asuna then rushed forward and landed another powerful strike. Kirito took over for the final time, and slashed diagonally across the beast. He then stabbed his blade into Illfang's torso, and ran it up the mob's body. He let out a war cry as he reached its head, and his blade cut through Illfang's face. The boss launched up into the air, and began to shine brightly. It then shattered into hundreds of piece, signaling it was dead. The congratulations sign appeared, and every  
>. "Only 99 more." He thought to himself. "Only 99 more."<p>

The room darkened once more, as the rewards screen popped up. Chosaint simply got XP, but he was happy the floor was cleared. He looked over to Kirito, to see he had received the Coat of Midnight. "Congrats man." Chosaint said to the boy as he still laid on the ground.

"Thanks." The black haired teen responded. Both Agil and Asuna came over to the black haired boy, and congratulated. When Agil said that the victory was his, Kirito replied, "No." Everyone applauded him and cheered him on.

"What do you mean no?" Chosaint asked. "Do you realize how amazing that was?"

"STOP CHEERING!" A voice called out. It was the spikey haired player, which Chosaint hated. Everyone became silent. "Why… Why did you let Diabel die?" He asked.

"Let him die?" Kirito asked.

"Of course! You knew what technique the boss would use! If you'd given that information up front, he wouldn't have died."

"Hey, don't blame Kirito for this." The teen in purple said defending the player, whom he treated like a little brother.

"He must be an ex-beta tester!" Someone in the crowd said. "That's how he knew all about the boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us!"

"Are we really starting this again?" Chosaint asked.

"You're probably one too." The player said to Chosaint. "There's gotta be other beta testers here too right? Those beta testers! Come out!"

Everyone began grumbling about the beta testers, and Chosaint decided to calm everyone down. "Alright." He said stepping in front of everyone. "I'm a beta tester."

This angered the entire crowd, who yelled about him killing Diabel and withholding information. "Would everyone calm down for a second!? This fight wasn't like the beta test. If anyone noticed, that was an Nodachi that was used, not a Talwar. The game must've had some updates, meaning that beta testers don't know everything that's gonna happen!" This is when Agil and Asuna tried calming everyone down, but Kirito let out an evil laugh.

"An ex-beta tester you say? I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." This seemed to startle just about everyone including Chosaint. "Most of the 1,000 people who won beta tests slots were beginners who didn't even know how to level up." He then began working his way through the crowd. "Even you guys are better than them. But I'm not like those guys. During the beta test, I made it to higher level than anyone was able to reach." Kirito continued with his self-destructive monologue, which seemed to destroy Chosaint at the same time. Everyone began to accuse Kirito of being a cheater instead of a beta tester.

"Well, I guess if he's a cheater then I am too." Chosaint added as he stood next to Kirito. The crowd began to roar out in anger. That's when someone called them beta testers and cheaters. Beaters. "Beaters… that's a good name. That's right, they were beaters." From now on, don't confuse me with those other testers." The young teen then began looking through his inventory, and donned the Coat of Midnight. Kirito then turned away, and began walking towards the stairs. Chosaint thought it would be best to follow. "So why'd you come with me?" Kirito asked.

"Well, we're kinda in the same boat now. Plus, I exposed myself as a beta tester first. You just turned us into beaters, which probably won't be well liked in this game, so might as well stick together."

"Ya, I suppose your right. I'm more of a solo player though."

"Well, let's just stick together, until we can teleport away from the mob we just caused." Chosaint decided.

"Sounds good enough." The boy in the black coat replied.

"Wait." Asuna said from behind them. Both beaters stopped. "You called my name when we were fighting. Both of you did."

"Sorry for being rude." Kirito said. "Or did we mess up the pronunciation?"

"Where did you learn it" She asked. Kirito then explained where her party member's names where on her HUD. "Kirito..." She said sounding out the name. "Kirito? And Chosaint?"

"Yep, that's me." The eldest teen said.

"Isn't that German?" Asuna asked.

"I'm not Japanese. I'm from America. My ancestors are German." The American explained.

"Oh, wait, so your names were written there the whole time." She said giggling.

"Yep." Chosaint said.

"If Kirito was more of a people person, he should really invest some time into the girl." Chosaint thought.

"You can become powerful. So if someone you trust invites you to a guild, don't turn them down. There are limits to how much a solo player can accomplish."

"Aren't you a solo player, Kirito?" Asuna asked. The teen simply walked away, and dissolved the party.

"He's right though." Chosaint said. "Solo isn't a good idea."

"Aren't you a solo player as well?" Asuna asked.

"No, I'm not. I have friends who can back me up, they just need to become stronger. "

"Well, what about Kirito?" She asked.

"Not many people are going to be accepting of beaters, as you can see. I'm no different there either. Listen, if you ever need help, message me, okay?" He said as he added the girl to his friend's list.

"I will." Asuna replied accepting the friend request.

Chosaint began to walk through the door, but stopped inside the doorway. "Oh, and Asuna." He said. He then turned around and showed a smile. "I'm sure you can break through to Kirito. Just give it some time." He said.

Asuna blushed a bit, and asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see." The older teen said walking through the door. "You'll see."

-On Floor Two-

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Ruhe said tackling her boyfriend with a hug. She no longer wore the beginner armor either. She now wore a pair of brown, knee high boots, with shin guards on the front. Under this, she had on a pair of light pink stockings. She then had on a short skirt, colored a shade darker than her hair. At the bottom of the skirt were a few white frills. She then wore a brown belt that matched her boots. Her mid-section was exposed, and led up to a piece of black fabric, covering her breasts. This trailed down to a few inches above her belly button. Over this she had a long sleeved jacket that buttoned once near her neck, showing a bit of cleavage. This garment was the same shade as her skirt. On her back, she had a small layer of fabric, a bit darker than her jacket, which draped over her shoulders and was connected back a single golden chain. **(Wow that description put's Chosaint's to shame)**

"It good to see you too." Chosaint responded wrapping his arms around Ruhe.

"So how'd it go?" Klein asked the person who had just cleared the first floor.

"To be honest, it was horrible." Chosaint said.

"What do you mean?" The guild leader asked. "Didn't you get a ton of XP?"

"Ya, I did. We also lost a few players." Chosaint said grimly. "If you guys have any doubts that you might not be strong enough, don't go to the front lines." Klein simply nodded to this.

"Well I don't want to hear about any of it." Ruhe said looking up to her boyfriend. "Let's just go rent a room, and I'll cook us all a good meal."

"That sounds like a good idea." The teen in purple said, as he gave her a kiss. The pair was followed by the Fuurinkazan.

-Later that Night-

The couple and the Fuurinkazan sat around a small dinner table, eating what Ruhe had prepared for them. "Wow, you've really gotten better at cooking!" Chosaint commented as he tipped back on the two legs of his chair. He really was amazed. Ruhe had managed to increase 5 levels in the cooking skill within a matter of two days.

"Thanks, you know that's not the only thing that I've improved in." She replied.

"And what else have you been working on?" The girl then began listing off her skills, which included vision, hearing, fishing, a bit of smithing, and even a few combat based skills.

"And I taught her the fighting skills." Klein said proudly, pointing his thumb towards himself.

"I don't know if I should be happy or worried." Chosaint said boredly.

"Let's just go with happy." Ruhe said.

"Well, the food was great, but we best be going to bed." The guild and its leader then stood up, and bowed politely, which Ruhe and Chosaint bowed back. "Night guys!" Klein said somewhat devilishly as he closed the door.

"A bit of rest does sound pretty good night now." The boy said as he changed into a pair of pajamas. Ruhe quickly followed suit, and the pair climbed into bed.

Chosaint lay with one arm behind his head and the other around Ruhe. His girlfriend lay on her side with one arm wrapped around her boyfriend, and the other resting against his chest. "Hey, Aiden?" She asked. **(They use each others real names when alone.)**

"Ya, Lucy?" He responded.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" The male sat up slightly at this question.

"What do you mean?" Lucy then propped herself onto one arm.

"Well, I mean that we've been here for two months now and only on the second floor. If this keeps up, it'll take years to leave."

"Ya, but now we know what we're doing. Plus more people like Klein and the Fuurinkazan will show up, making the front line even stronger."

"I guess you're right." Lucy said laying back down. "So what's it like on the front?"

"I thought you didn't want to know about it." Her boyfriend replied returning to his relaxed state.

"I don't, but I need to know what's happening to you."

"Well, if you want to know, I'll tell you."

"I do." Ruhe said.

"It's bad. This time alone we lost a few players. Even our leader, Diabel, died. I'd like to say that I got out untouched, but that'd be a lie. Hell, I wouldn't even be here had Agil not saved me, and I was in the back for most of the fight. The boss fights are only going to get harder too. I'm not saying that it's gonna be safe for me to keep fight, it obviously isn't, but I have to keep fighting. If I don't, then we won't get out."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Ruhe said.

"Ya, me too." He said as he kissed her head. "Me too." Ruhe then inched closer to him, as the two fell asleep. Happy that they had taken the first step in beating the game.

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><p><strong>Well that was that. In actual news, I need a good boss OC pretty soon, so if you have any ideas please send them in. In a PM if you would. I got an idea, but I think you guys could come up with better one. Well, that's about it for news, so I'll talk to you all some time later (Probably in a 2 weeks) Bye!<strong>**  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4: A Whole Litter

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I've had some better days, but that's not really important. Anyways, my school had 4 bomb threats since last chapter. So that was... fun? Horrible? I don't really know I got out of school for two days though. So without further stalling, enjoy :D**

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><p>"Are you sure you want to keep at this?" Chosaint asked as he slayed yet another monster.<p>

"Positive." Ruhe answered as she got back to her feet. "I just need a little help killing the monsters."

"Ya, but this is kinda dangerous

"Isn't the entire world?" She asked.

"Yes, but this is more dangerous than the rest of the world. You're only level twenty-one in the floor eleven labyrinth. I still don't know why I let you in here." The level 38 said.

"But the exit is really close, and we're surrounded by safe areas." Ruhe protested.

"Doesn't really make a difference."

"I guess you're right." The red haired girl said sadly. Her boyfriend then wrapped an arm around her.

"Don't be too upset about it. At least you're trying to level up."

"Ya, but it doesn't really seem like combat is my thing." She replied.

"Well, it might not be. This world has an unlimited number of skills outside of combat. Just pick one and level up. You've already become an amazing cook." Her boyfriend said with a smile.

"Ya, I guess you're right." The girl said as they began to walk back into town.

"Plus, you can always raise your listening and sight skills."

"Those are skills?" She asked.

"Sure are. With those you could become an amazing info broker."

"Isn't that a shady line of work?"

Chosaint let out a bit of a nervous laugh and said," Ya, it is. Maybe you could just help figure out where good drops are going to be."

"Is all you ever think about monster drops?"

"That and food." The boy said with a smile. "Speaking of which, what's for supper tonight?"

"I was thinking that we could go out to eat. Maybe a tavern or something?"

The agility type player open up his inventor to see his col running dangerously low. "Ya, I guess we could. I'll have to see if Klein or anyone else wants to go on a dungeon raid soon though."

"Low on money again?"

"Ya, just a bit."

"Me too. There's apparently some new blacksmith that makes unbelievable weapons." Ruhe said.

"Maybe I'll have to see what she has to offer." Chosaint jokingly said. This was rewarded with a strong punch to his arm. "I'm just kidding, take a joke. You know you're my only blacksmith."

"Damn right I am." Ruhe said proudly.

"You know, I should probably see if Asuna or Kirito want to come on the raid as well." Chosaint thought out loud.

"Those are the people you were in a party during the first boss fight, right?" His girlfriend responded.

"Yep, but Kirito seems to be shut out from the world now. I still might be able to get Asuna to come with though."

"Why is he always like that? Last time we met, he was pretty friendly."

"Ya, but being a beater is hard. Maybe he's just tired of being around people. He is a solo player after all."

"Asuna is too though." Ruhe pointed out.

"Ya, but Asuna can be persuaded away from being a solo player. Kirito is more stuck in his ways."

"I guess you're right, I mean…" She was then cut off by another voice.

"HELP!" It called out. "HELP!"

"Aww shit. That's from deeper in." Chosaint said. He then turned to Rue and said, "I want you to stay here in the safe area."

"You really think that's going to happen?" She said.

"Lucy please. This is too dangerous for you."

"Look, you're wasting time. Let's just go."

"There's no point in arguing is there?" Chosaint asked.

"Sure isn't." Ruhe said with a smirk.

"Fine, just stay close to me, and run if you have to."

"Don't worry, Aiden. I'll be fine." She gave him a quick kiss, before the pair went running deeper into the dungeon.

As the two slashed their way through the monsters of the labyrinth, they finally reached the group calling for help. There was six in total. The forward used a mace and a shield, another used a two handed staff, the only girl wielded a long spear, the one in green used a spear, and finally the player in yellow used a dagger similar to Chosaint's. They were being attacked heavily by minotaurs and lightly armored skeletons. The forward was obviously taking heavy amounts of damage, and the group didn't look like it would last much longer. "Any plan?" Ruhe asked. That's when Kirito came flying into the scene, and took the head off of a minotaur that was about the attack the forward of the group. **(A/N: My computer keeps telling me that minotaur need to be capitalized, so it would be Minotaur. Please tell me if this is right or not.) **

"Follow his lead." Chosaint replied, as he dashed into the fray, quickly followed by Ruhe. Chosaint activated a sword skill, and flew towards the group. He sliced through the leg of a skeleton, and landed in a bend down position. With a small smirk on his face, the higher leveled player became a blur of purple as multiple hit marks appeared on the monster's body. He finished his attack and slid into a position just in front of the forward. A minotaur then raised the hammer in its hands and slammed it into the ground where Chosaint was. The teen back flipped away and landed next to the staff wielder. A skeleton then tried to slash at the teen, but was stopped with its sword drawn back. The monster disappeared and Ruhe stood behind it. The agility player then fell back in between the girl and the boy in green, while Kirito and Ruhe took over the front from the staff wielder.

"Who are you guys?" The player in red asked.

"That's not really important right now." Chosaint replied.

"Can we at least get names?" The female spear wielder asked.

"We can introduce ourselves when we get out of here." Ruhe called back.

"She has a point." Kirito added. That's when the monsters attacked once more. "Chosaint, Ruhe, and I will punch a hole through them, just get out of here." Kirito commanded. The five other players simply nodded. A minotaur swung its hammer sideways at Kirito, who deflected the strike. Ruhe then charged forward, and shield bashed the weapon, sending it flying. Chosaint delivered the killing blow with a quick series of strikes to the chest and neck. A second minotaur swung downwards at the red haired girl, who hide behind her shield. The hammer slammed into the shield, forcing Ruhe downwards and dropping her health. As the beast raised its weapon for a second strike, Chosaint flew forward and stabbed into the back of its left knee, causing it to buckle. The minotaur dropped to one knee, and Kirito stabbed the monster through its head. "Go now!" Kirito ordered, and the five players obeyed.

"Ruhe follow them." Chosaint added.

"Got it." She said taking off after them.

"Well, we gonna run?" The dirty blonde asked.

"Do I really need to answer that?" Kirito asked.

"Nope." The two then attacked the remaining few monsters.

-Taft-

"Here's to us. The Moonlit Black Cats! Cheers everyone!" The leader of the guild said as he raised his glass.

"Cheers!" the other four guild members said clanging their glasses together. The other three players simply sat with cups in hand. The guild had been thankful that they were saved and invited the other players to a tavern that was used as their headquarters.

"I got another!" Ducker said. "Here's to the people who saved our lives. To Kirito, Chosaint, and Ruhe!" He then raised his cup along with the others.

"To Kirito, Chosaint, and Ruhe!" The others repeated.

"Cheers guys." Kirito said awkwardly.

"Ya, what he said." Chosaint added in the same tone. Ruhe then elbowed him and gave him a dirty look.

"Cheers!" The red haired girl said before taking a drink out of her cup. They all then began to say their individual thank you's to the three, but Sachi really spoke out above them all. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She said.

"It's nothing really." Chosaint replied.

"Ya, anyone would've done it." Kirito added.

"I can't tell you how scared I was." The girl in blue continued. "So when you came to save us, it made me so happy." She teared up a bit at this point.

"Really, it was nothing." Ruhe said to her.

"The leader of the group then approached the three and shielded his voice from the others. "Excuse me." He said. "I hope I'm not stepping out of line here, but do you mind if I ask what levels you guys are."

Kirito broke eye contact and was the first to answer. "Level 20." He lied. Both the couple gave him strange looks, which he shied away from, but didn't say anything.

"Really? You're at our level and still a solo player?" Keita asked. "You're an inspiration, sir."

"Twenty-one" Ruhe said proudly. Chosaint figured that Kirito wanted to hide the fact that he was a beater and lied about his level. Chosaint, on the other hand, had no problem with being known as a beater.

"Thirty-eight." He said. This seemed to completely shock Keita.

"Thirty-eight?" He said as quietly as he could. "You must be on the front lines then."

"Ya, I am." He admitted.

"Wow. I can't believe you're someone from the front lines. It's an honor to meet you, sir." The boy in red said.

"Keita, we aren't you superiors." Kirito pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." He replied. "Anyways, what guild are you in, Chosaint?"

"I'm not in one."

"You aren't?"

"No. Ruhe and I just stick together." The agility type player said pulling his girlfriend closer to him.

"Wow, I didn't know a solo player could get as far as you have!"

"Being a solo player just means that we're always hunting enemies out in the boonies." Kirito said. "It's not very efficient."

"No it isn't." Chosaint added. "Combat is pretty much all I have, I'm just lucky Ruhe focuses on other skills."

"Oh, right." Keita said. "Well, in that case. I hate to spring this on you guys here, but if you want we'd love to have you in our guild." This surprised all three players outside the guild. "Our mace wielder, Tetsuo, is the only one we can put out front right now. And then we've got Sachi over here." He continued as he patted Sachi on the head. "I was thinking of having her switch to sword and shield, that way she can fight on the front lines. The thing is, she says she's not sure if she can handle it. If you guys join us maybe you could teach her a thing or two. Though you seem like more of a damage dealer than anything Chosaint, but it'd still be nice having some extra fire power there too."

"Oh come on." Sachi responded. "I'm not that useless." Keita gave her a somewhat awkward glance, and she pulled away from his hand. "Seriously, you can't just put me up front and expect me to know what to do. I'd be terrified." The guild began to joke around with Sachi about her always being afraid. It somewhat reminded the eldest beater of how he teases his girlfriend. After sharing a laugh, Keita turned his attention to his three saviors.

"We always joke around like that. See in real life, we all go to the same high school, and are members of the computer club."

"So you've all deiced to stay together then." Chosaint pointed out.

"Ya, we thought it'd be better that way." Keita say.

"That sounds a lot like me and Chosaint." Ruhe said. "You see, in real life we're actually boyfriend and girlfriend, so we've been watching over each other the entire time."

"That's really sweet." Sachi said.

"Well, don't worry about fitting in with us." Keita responded. "As far as I'm concerned your all already part of our group. Right?" The Black Cats all nodded in agreement, and Sachi gave a small smile to Kirito.

"I'm very grateful for the option, but I don't think I'm really a guild type of person." Chosaint said.

"Ya, me either. Thanks for the offer though." Ruhe added. All eyes turned towards Kirito, who looked down at the table.

"Well, I'm really flattered…" He said.

"This doesn't really surprise me." The dirty blonde thought to himself.

"And thanks for the offer." The Black Swordsman said continuing. "I'll do it." This surprised the couple more than Keita asking them to join. Everyone quickly began welcoming the new member into the guild. Eventually, when things settled down, attention was turned back towards Chosaint.

"So what's it like being on the front lines?" Keita asked.

"Wait, you're on the front lines?!" Ducker asked.

"Yes I am." The purple clad warrior admitted.

"Are you as well?" Sachi asked Ruhe.

"Me? No way I'm not nearly strong enough to be there. I'm about the same level as you guys." Ruhe replied.

"Really? Then what level are you, Chosaint. If you don't mind me asking that is." Ducker said.

"I'm level thirty-eight." The eldest player said. The tavern got very quiet after this announcement, as people mumbled about the teen's level.

"So, does that mean you're a-a-a beater?" Ducker asked.

The high leveled played sighed. "Yes it does." He admitted. At this, the players around him erupted in fury.

"You don't belong here!" One called out.

"How about you stop stealing everyone's experience!" Another said.

"Wow, I still can't believe how mad everyone is over this." The known beater said. "Ya, so what?!" He yelled out silencing everyone. "I'm a beater, but nobody ever got this far into the game! I know about as much as anyone else now!" Nobody said a word after this. The teen then stood up and said to his girlfriend, "You can stay here, but I doubt you'll have any more friendly conversations now." And with that, he walked out of the tavern.

"Is he really a beater?" Keita asked.

"Yes, he is." Ruhe said.

"But don't beaters only look after themselves?" Ducker asked.

"No they don't!" Ruhe said offended. "People just get stupid ideas in their heads about what a person is like before they even meet them. It doesn't matter if he's a beater, because he's the person trying to clear the game and get everyone out of here. He's the person that saved all of you." She continued as she stood up. The girl then began to follow her boyfriend's path out of the building. As the scarlet haired girl opened the door, she ended by saying, "Not everyone loos after themselves in the world." She then closed the door, and caught up to Chosaint.

"Perhaps you shouldn't tell people you're a beater anymore." Ruhe said to her boyfriend. The two were sitting on a bench, on a bridge over the sewers of the city.

"If I do that then everyone who hates beaters wins."

"But if you keep telling everyone…" She was cut off by Chosaint.

"Look, I'm sure as we get farther into the game none of this will matter anymore. Around floor 25 I doubt anyone will even remember what a beater is." The two sat in silence for a while, until it was broken by a soft voice.

"Excuse me." It said. Chosaint turned his head slightly, and saw Sachi out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes Sachi?" The dirty blonde asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened back at the tavern." She said. "May I sit down?" Ruhe moved over, and nodded her head towards the seat next to her. "Thank you."

"Sachi, you don't need to apologize." Ruhe said. "What happened wasn't your fault. It's just a bit of a… sensitive subject." Ruhe said.

"I know, but I still feel like we're responsible in some way."

"You aren't." Chosaint reassured her. "Some people are just sore about beaters still. They'll get over it eventually."

Sachi opened her mouth to say something, but Chosaint cut her off. "Sachi, its fine. Really. Just get back to the Black Cats and Kirito. We've seen the way you look at him." The agility-type player said this last part with a smirk on his face.

The girl in blue blushed a bit, and nodded. "Thank you." She then stood up, bowed, and began to walk back down the path towards the tavern.

"Oh, and Sachi!" Ruhe called out. The timid girl turned around. "Don't hesitate to message us if you ever need help!" Sachi nodded, before continuing down the path.

"Poor girl." Chosaint said. "She's sacred to death of everything."

"Ya, but she has Kirito. It's a lot like how I have you." Ruhe said as she rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"But she has to go into battle." The boy thought. He then looked back down the path to see the figure of Sachi still walking away. "Without Kirito, I doubt she'll last much longer. Even then it'll be tough to keep her alive."

-A Few Days Later-

"Alright, are you ready to go?" Klein asked the couple. Both Chosaint and Ruhe nodded. "Good, let's go get a bit of Col!" He said enthusiastically, before walking towards the dungeon on floor 7. The rest of the Fuurinkazan decided to stay on the higher floors to level up, while Klein, the highest leveled member, went along with Chosaint and Ruhe to raise more money. The Fuurinkazan had come a long way since the couple first met them, and were ready to fight on the front lines now. A bit of extra training never hurt though. Klein pushed open the door to the dungeon and walked in with Chosaint and Ruhe close behind.

"So anything really been new in your guys' lives?" Klein asked as they walked down the corridor.

"Nothing really." Ruhe answered. There was a short pause, before Chosaint corrected her.

"Well… that's not entirely true."

"What do you mean?" The girl asked.

"Ya, what happened?" The eldest player asked.

"Ruhe and I did save a guild for being killed."

"A guild?" The samurai asked.

"It was only a five person guild, but I guess they're at six now." Chosaint said.

"Wait, one of you didn't join. Did you?" Klein asked. "Cause I had dibs on you guys."

"Don't worry Klein. It was Kirito." The scarlet haired girl said.

"Kirito? Really? He was always a solo player."

"Ya, that's what we thought." Ruhe replied. "I guess he isn't anymore."

"Maybe we should follow his footsteps." Chosaint said, somewhat thinking out loud.

"You mean join the Moonlit Black Cats?" Ruhe asked.

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?" Klein yelled comically stomping his foot like a child. "I CALLED DIBS!"

"No, I don't mean them. They didn't look too happy to know that I was a beater anyways. Perhaps we should join the Fuurinkazan."

"What made you change your mind so quickly?" The only female party member asked.

"Well, maybe being solo players isn't a great idea. Kirito had a point when he said out training was inefficient. Also, not many guilds will welcome a beater into their ranks." The agility player pointed out.

"That's true. Most people just don't like beaters for some reason." Klein said. "Plus you guys are always with use. It's not like much will be changing anyways, expect you'll have access to our funds."

"Well, we have been running rather low on money lately." Ruhe said. "And it would be nice to train with you guys more often."

"Klein, I think you got…" Chosaint was then cut off by a roar. The roar of a bear.

"Wait, that's the treasure guard!" Klein said. "Let's go get a ton of Col!" He said before running off towards the bear.

"Maybe joining a guild with a headstrong leader isn't the greatest of ideas." Ruhe said deadpanning.

"You might have a point." Chosaint agreed just before he took off running after Klein.

"Guys, I can see the chest!" Klein called out from a few yards ahead. "It's right…" The bear then let out another mighty roar. "There." Klein turned around to face the chest, but only meet the face of the treasure guard. The beast raised up on its hind legs, and roared once more.

"Klein! Duck!" Chosaint commanded. The eldest member obeyed just as a giant paw flew above his head. Chosaint then propelled himself forward, and slashed through the bear's arm. Ruhe followed him up, by stabbing into the left thigh of the bear and blocking another strike with her shield. The samurai then activated a sword skill, and repeatedly slashed into the treasure guard. The bear struck downwards at Chosaint, who back flipped away. Ruhe took this chance to land a strong slash on the beast's arm. As the bear reeled back in pain, the agility type player jumped into the air, and activated a sword skill, Star Strikes. His dagger rapidly connected to the bear's head making a pattern similar to a star shape. Klein finished off the beast by cutting cleanly through its stomach, practically separating the beast in two.

"Well, that was a close one." Klein said sheathing his blade, and closing the rewards window. "Now, you were saying?"

"Well, I was about to say that you have gained two new members of the Fuurinkazan." Chosaint said with a smile.

"Really?" Ruhe confirmed this with a nod. "Awesome! I'm so glad you guys finally decided to join!" The samurai then looked at the treasure chest in front of him. "And just in time to reap the rewards of this chest with me." The guild leader extended the guild request to the two players, who both gladly accepted. Immediately, a new symbol popped up on their HUD. It was the Fuurikazan's symbol. "Welcome to the guild! Now let's see what's in this chest." The guild leader opened up the treasure chest, for another reward screen to appear. Along with a few rarer pieces of crafting material and uncooked food, he received 5,000 Col. All of which was sent to the guild treasury. "Well, I like to think today was a successful day."

"Me too." Ruhe agreed. "Now, let's get base to the hotel so we can tell the others the good news."

As the trio began to leave, Chosaint's thoughts returned to something that he had said earlier. "She has to go into battle."

"Am I putting Lucy past what she can handle?" He thought. The boy then looked over to his girlfriend, who looked back at him and smiled. "Maybe I should stop bringing her to dungeons. She's the only thing in this world I can't afford to lose."

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><p><strong>Well them joining was bound to happen, I just got impatient, but what about Ruhe? I have plans for her in the future that you guys may or may not like. It'll be good though :) Anyways, next chapter will probably be a short Christmas special, seeing as I am Christian. This will in no way actually tie into the storyline, and is simply meant as a holiday event kinda. So I'll see you guys sometime around Christmas! Bye :D<strong>


	5. Christmas Special

**Merry Christmas everyone! If you celebrate another holiday, then I hope your enjoying it. Anyways, I'm writing this AN before hand, just because I don't want to do it on Christmas Day or Eve. Also, I want to apologize to my beta reader, Ordo-Silver, for not sending this to him as a DocX. It's just not an extremely important chapter, so I didn't bother sending it. So this won't be a very serious chapter. It has nothing to do with the current timeline of the story, and takes place way in the future. I need to keep the cannon storyline in tact. Also, there won't be a bottom AN, just so you know. Without further ado, Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy you holiday season, and I hope your having an enjoyable winter! Bye :D**

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><p>"Aiden, do you realize what today is?" Lucy asked her boyfriend. They were both sitting in the living room of their small, but nice house on the 35th floor.<p>

"No, why?" The dirty blonde responded.

"It's Christmas!" The scarlet haired girl said.

"How can you even tell?" Chosaint asked.

"Have you not been keeping track of the days?"

"No, have you?"

"Of course! I want to know exactly how long we've been in here. Plus do you not remember the event yesterday?"

"That was a Christmas event?" Chosaint asked.

"You're so clueless."

"Well, we should probably celebrate then. What do you want to do?"

"Let's have a big traditional Christmas. We can have Kline and the rest of the Fuurinkazan over, give gifts, we can even go and get a tree."

"I don't think any of the shops sell Christmas trees." The boy in purple said.

"We could always cut one down. Or we can just plant on."

"Well, let's just cut one down." The boyfriend said, getting up out of his chair. "Go ahead and type out a message to Kline."

Lucy quickly sent out a message saying, "Christmas party at Chosaint's and mine's house. Bring a gift for dirty Santa. Everyone in the guild is welcome."

"Done." The girl said with a smile. The pair then equipped some warmer clothing, and walked out the door.

-Over the River and into The Forest of Wandering We Go!-

"How about… this one?" Ruhe asked touching another pine tree.

"It kinda has a giant hole in it." Chosaint pointed out.

"Well there isn't going to be a perfect tree you know."

"Yes, but there are still really good ones."

"You just have to be difficult don't you?" Ruhe asked.

"That's my goal in life." Her boyfriend responded with a smile as he began walking away.

The girl in red quickly caught back up and said, "Well at least Akihiko Kayaba has a bit of a heart."

"What makes you say that?" Chosaint asked.

"Well, we are in a dungeon, but there isn't a single monster. I think he despawned them all for today."

"He might've. I didn't even notice that. I doubt you can open any of the chests in here though."

"Why is that?"

"Because if he didn't, people would just walk up to treasure chests and get a bunch of loot." The boyfriend said.

"I guess you have a point." Lucy said linking her arm into her boyfriend's. "Hey, look at that one!" She then sprinted away, dragging Chosaint with her.

"This one is perfect!" She said, walking around the tree. "Completely flawless." The tree was about 10 feet tall. And quite full. It was just about the perfect size for the house if they cut about a foot off of the bottom.

"Well…" Chosaint began to say, but his girlfriend gave him a very angry look. A look that said, 'If you say anything wrong about this tree, I'm leaving you here.' "Ya, its prefect."

"Yay!" Ruhe cheered. "Now cut it down." She ordered.

"Can I get a please?" Her boyfriend asked.

"Can you please cut it down?" She asked with a small pouty face.

"Yes, I can." He gave her a quick kiss, before equipping an old fashion axe.

Chosaint raised his axe over his shoulder. "Wait!" Lucy said.

"Yes?" Aiden asked, lower his axe.

"Be gentle. Not the barbarian you usually are."

"When am I ever a barbarian?" Chosaint asked.

"Well, there was the time that you got through a wall by simply smacking it."

"There was no other way!"

"And then when you got upset at fishing and jumped into the lake trying to just grab a fish."

"It's ridiculous to expect people to be that patient."

"And then when you…" She was then cut off by her boyfriend.

"I think I get the point." He raised his axe again, lower than it was before, and chopped into the tree. This made a small cut into the tree. He then raised it again, and chopped once more, making the cut deeper. This continued onwards for a little while, until the tree eventually fell.

"Alright, get a tree is no longer on the list. Next we have to decorate the house." Lucy said as she began to walk away.

"I have to carry this all by myself?" Chosaint called out.

"Yep. Have fun. Your strength should be high enough to do it." She replied, for a little ways away.

"Doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy it." The agility type mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" The dirty blonde yelled back.

-Back at the House-

"I'm definitely gonna fall." Chosaint said.

"Well, if you think that way you'll fall." His girlfriend said not so reassuringly. Chosaint was standing on top of the roof of his house, putting up decorations.

"If I fall you'll catch me right?"

"I don't know. Your pretty heavy, my strength isn't very high, and that's about a twenty foot drop."

"You know you could just say yes. It would kill you to try." The man on the roof said.

"I suppose, but it seems kinda dangerous for me."

"And being up here isn't?!"

"I never said that. You'll be fine if you fall. It'll only hurt a little." Ruhe said to her boyfriend.

"You're not being very supportive." Chosaint said deadpanning.

"Just hang the lights." Chosaint continued to place down the different colored lanterns on the house's roof, as Ruhe hung a few around the windows. As he placed down the last one, the agility player's foot slipped on a bit of snow on the roof. He was able to place down the final blue lantern, but began to slip down the roof. He regained his footing though and let out a breath of relief. "So close." Ruhe said to herself.

"I heard that!" Chosaint yelled. The girl then suspiciously whistled as she continued draping garland over the windows. Chosaint then went downstairs and returned to the roof with a few more lights.

Before he even got start though, Chosaint tripped over one of the already placed lights and tumbled down the roof. The teen's foot snagged on the end on the house, sending him tumbling downwards. He was able to gain control of his fall halfway through though and rolled upon his landing. He stood back up and threw his arms out sideways, like an Olympic gymnast sticking a landing. "I'd give it a 7." Ruhe said hanging a wreath above the door. That's when a large chunk of snow fell off the roof, landing on top of the dirty blonde. Covered in snow, Chosaint gave a very upset look, as his girlfriend laughed at him. "Scratch that, it's defiantly a 10 now. Congrats."

-That Night-

"Alright, does everyone know how to play Dirty Santa?" The scarlet haired girl asked. Everyone except for the two not originally from Japan shook their heads no. "Well then let me explain. Everyone pick a number out of the bowl. That number tells you when your turn is. During your turn you can either pick a random present or steal someone else's. A present cannot be stolen twice in one round. If you get your present stolen, you can either pick a random one or steal one that hasn't been stolen that round. Everyone understand." **(My family does this yearly with about 20 people.)**

"Enough for us to do this." Klein said.

"Alright then, everyone pick a number then." Chosaint said. The eight of them reached in and grabbed a piece of paper. Chosaint got number 4 and Ruhe got number 7.

"Who's first?" Klein asked.

"I am." Dale responded. He then grabbed the largest gift in the bunch. He unwrapped the box to find another wrapped box. The other seven all laughed. Dale then opened that box to find another wrapped box, leading to more laughs from the group. This continued a few more times, until there was only a very small box left. The rather large player opened the final box to find a note. "It says IOU one favor."

"Redeemable at any time." Klein said laughing. It was agreed that no present could be weapon based, or else people would end up with weapons that they didn't use.

"I'm up." Dynamm said. He grabbed a random present from the pool in the middle. Unwrapping the gift, he found a mirage sphere. **(It's the thing that makes a map of the world.)** "And now I'll never be lost." Dynamm said happily.

"Ya you will." Harry said. "I'll be stealing that mirage sphere. Thank you very much." Harry took the mirage sphere from Dynamm, who then picked out another present. He unwrapped it to find a small serving tray. Taking off the dome on top, he found a plate filled with fish.

"Well it's obvious who put that in." Klein said drawing attention to Ruhe.

"It's really good fish." She said.

"There's no way I'm keeping this." Dynamm said a bit disappointed.

"Well I'm forth, so I'll be taking the IOU." Chosaint said.

"Really? I mean umm… Oh no. I'm so disappointed." Dale said. He then, somehow forgot about the fish and picked another random present. Opening it, he was rewarded with a few healing crystals. "Well these could be helpful."

Next was Issin, who stole the mirage sphere from Harry. Harry, in turn took the healing crystals. It was at this point that Chosaint realized that everyone was so surprised he took the IUO they had all forgotten that Dynamm had the fish that Ruhe prepared. Dale unwrapped another random gift, to find a piece of steel. "It's some of the best steel there is." Wrote in a message to Dale. He then sent it, because he felt somewhat sorry that Dale had been stolen from twice already.

After Issin, was Klein, who stole the crystals from Harry. "You sure you don't want your IOU?" Chosaint asked him.

"Ya, I'm pretty sure." Klein replied. Harry then picked out a present from the middle, to get a set of very nice pots.

"I don't think I can really use these." Harry said.

"I can." Ruhe said, taking the pots away from Harry. Harry then grabbed another present to get a nice little flower.

"Plant it and it'll become beautiful." Dale said, though nobody could tell if he was kidding or not.

Finally was Kunimittz, who looked around the room. He knew that Dynamm had the fish, but decided that he would take a chance. "I'm taking the last unopened gift." He said, as he picked up a small box from the middle. Unwrapping it, he found a pair of very nice slippers. "Good choice Kunimittz." He said to himself, putting on the slippers.

"Well, that's it then." Ruhe said.

"YES! I KEPT THE FISH!" Dynamm cheered.

"Aww man, I completely forgot about the fish." Klein wined.

"And I got this steel." Dale said happily.

"Isn't it just steel though?" Issin asked.

"Nope, that's some of the best steel to be found. I got it during one of the boss fights."

"WHAT!?" Everyone said except for Chosaint and Dale.

"Ruhe, if you wouldn't mind, can you make this into a weapon for me?" Dale asked the only female member of the group.

"Of course. I'll get on it tomorrow." She replied.

Everyone began enjoying their gift's, especially Dynamm, when Chosaint decided to have a bit of fun. "Hey Klein." He said.

"Ya?" The leader of the guild responded.

"I'm cashing in my favor. I want a foot rub."

"Are you serious?" Klein asked.

"Yep."

"Why do you want one?" The samurai asked. "You won't even feel anything."

"Because it'll annoy you. And isn't that what your gift was all about?" Klein mumbled something under his breath, but got up and walked over to the dirty blonde. Chosaint took off his boots and Klein began to rub his feet.

Laying back relaxing, Chosaint said. "Yep, I definitely made the right choice."


	6. Chapter 5: Pointless Hurdles

**I have been in some of the worst pain these past couple of days. I was hardly able to move yesterday because I screwed up my back. Also, break is almost over for me so that sucks. Anyways, that's about all that's new in my life, so enjoy everyone :D**

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><p>"Time to get up!" Klein yelled as he kicked open the door to the room belonging to the newest members of the guild.<p>

"Really Klein, what the hell?" Chosaint asked as he slowly got up.

"It's initiation day." Dale added, poking his head into the room.

"Initiation?" Ruhe asked yawning.

"Yes, initiation. You shall be put through a series of challenges to see if you're good enough to join the Fuurinkazan." The guild leader said.

"Didn't we already join?" Chosaint asked.

"Yes, but you aren't a full member yet. If you pass our challenges, then you'll be a full member."

The couple just starred in silence stared at him in silence, before Ruhe said, "That's the dumbest thing I've heard of."

"Please just do it. We spent all night coming up with cool challenges." Dale said.

The agility player sighed and said, "Fine we'll do the initiation test."

"Great, meet use outside ASAP." Klein said before sprinting downstairs with the excitement of a little kid.

"Is this really the best way to spend our time?" Ruhe asked.

"No, it isn't." Her boyfriend responded as he got out of bed. "But, we can't be about business all the time. We need a bit of fun in our lives." He looked over to his girlfriend and smiled with the last sentence.

Ruhe smiled back and said, "I guess you're right. I wonder what they'll have us do."

"Oh don't worry, nothing good can come out of this." Chosaint responded.

-Outside-

"Alright, time for your first challenge." Klein said standing across from the couple. The rest of the Fuurinkazan were standing next to him. "Your first challenge will be a test against Dale and Issin."

"Wait, me?" Dale asked.

"Yes, you." Klein responded.

"Why me?"

"I have my reasons." The guild leader responded. "Anyways, your first test will be a race around the village of Taft. Issin and Dale will be running against you. The course is simple, start here, run over to the town square, around the fountain, passed the inn, over the bridge, and back here. We'll have member at each checkpoint to make sure you've actually reached them. Both of you will have to race. You'll get 3 points for first, two for second, one for third, and none for last. There is no rule against pushing. Any questions?"

"Why am I doing this?" Dale asked.

"Because, any others?" Klein asked.

"Why a foot race against us?" Chosaint asked.

"Ya, I might not be the fastest, but Chosaint is hard to beat." Ruhe pointed out.

"Yes, but Issin has ran this course in preparation he knows all the short cuts." Issin simply nodded to this. "Now, without further stalling get ready." All four competitors lined up next to each other. "On your marks. Get set. Dale start running." Dale then took off as fast as he could. The other three looked back in confusion. "He needs a bit of a head start. GO!" The other three began to sprint as fast as they could. As they rounded the first corner, Chosaint pushed Issin into a wall, creating a bit of a gap between them. The couple then passed Dale after they passed the corner. After a couple more meters though, Issin dashed around an alley corner, putting him back in the lead. He then grabbed a stack of boxes and threw them into the street. While the NPC vender complained about the knocked over crates, Ruhe jumped over them in hurdler fashion and Chosaint dove over them, rolling as he landed. Issin cut into another alleyway, while Ruhe close behind him. Chosaint continued on the path that he knew. Weaving in and out of the streets, Chosaint could see the fountain.

Meanwhile, Ruhe was chasing Issin though the alleys of the city. He took a left down one path, she followed. He then took a right, as did she. He eventually hopped over a fence, and rolled as he landed. Ruhe had a bit more difficulty scaling the seven foot high barricade, but she was eventually able to swing her legs over and land on the other side. She looked up to see Issin rounding the fountain, with Chosaint having just gotten into the square. She quickly rejoined her boyfriend, and looked behind her to see Dale struggling to keep pace.

Issin quickly ran around the fountain and towards the inn. Chosaint chose a more direct path. He stepped up onto the edge of the fountain. He they jumped through the fountain. Breaking through the cascading water, he slid upon touching the ground again, putting him back in the lead. He then sprinted down the street heading towards the inn. Ruhe followed Issin and trailed close behind him.

It was a straight shot from the fountain, to the park, and over the bridge. This meant that Chosaint could've been extremely far ahead had it not been for the massive amount of people in the road. Chosaint, Ruhe, and Issin all weaved their way through the crowd and Dale simply ran passed them, because they moved for him. By the time the four of them got through the crowd, they were all close to each other. As they continued onwards, Issin pushed Chosaint to the right. This sent the agility type player into a crowd of familiar looking people. The Moonlit Black Cats. They all made room for him, except Kirito. Chosaint put his hands on the younger player's shoulders and leaped over him saying, "Going over," as he jumped the teen.

After they crossed the bridge, Issin broke off once again, and Ruhe followed him. Dale was now a little ways behind Chosaint in the race. The dagger wielder turned the last corner, and could see the finish line. Issin and Ruhe then quickly cut in front of him. With a split second decision, Chosaint dove and tackled Issin to the ground. Ruhe took the lead and crossed the finish line. As the two members on the ground struggled to get back up, Dale passed them both and finished in second. He then collapsed to the ground with exhaustion. The two remaining racers looked at each other and quickly got up and began sprinting again. Chosaint took an early lead, but Issin pulled him back. The dirty blonde was in last as the finish line got closer. He then ran closer to the building they were already only a foot away from. The agility type player jumped up and pushed off the wall. He passed up Issin with this quick wall maneuver and finished in third, barely. Both players doubled over, panting. **(A/N I actually have no clue if they would be tired or not, but people always pant in the anime, so I'm gonna say yes.)** "Good race." Issin said.

"You too." Chosaint replied.

"Well, Chosaint and Ruhe won by about a second." Klein said.

"Why did you make me run this?" Dale asked still on the ground.

"Because you ate my last taco I was saving." Klein replied.

"Are you kidding me!?" Dale yelled.

"Anyways, onwards to the next challenge."

-Inside a Hotel Kitchen-

"And this challenge is?" Chosaint asked as he looked around seeing only raw foods.

"A cook off!" Klein declared.

"Are you just trying to find things you'll easily lose at?" Ruhe asked.

"You guys barely won the last event." Klein pointed out.

"That's because you had an advantage with Issin." Chosaint replied.

"Well we have an advantage this time as well!"

"Which is?" Ruhe asked.

"Chosaint has to instruct you how to cook, Ruhe."

"But he knows nothing about cooking! No offense." Ruhe replied.

"Don't worry I'm an idiot when cooking."

"I told you we had an advantage. You guys have an hour to make any dish. Everyone not participating will be blind taste testers. You will be facing Dynamm in this test, because he's our best chief. Also, Ruhe you can't look at any cookbooks at all you have to rely solely on what your boyfriend is telling you. Any questions?"

Chosaint raised his hand and asked, "Is this meant to be teaching us anything?"

"Ummm… Team work!" Klein replied. "Go!" He then began the timer. Chosaint began to search through the cook book he could find, while Ruhe waited for him to call out ingredients. **(A/N This will probably be a short challenge. Try writing about cooking it's difficult.)**

"Are you going to tell me anything?" Ruhe asked.

"Umm… how about the re-so-too?" Chosaint said sounding out the word.

"You mean risotto?"

"Ya, that thing." Her boyfriend said.

"No, that's too easy." Ruhe replied.

"Screw it, let's just make something with fish." The least experienced chef said throwing the book behind him.

"Yep, that's the best idea." The female chef said, deadpanning.

"Don't worry, I believe in you." The dirty blonde then stepped out of the kitchen.

Ruhe then began throwing ingredients together into a pan. First, the fish was thrown in to begin cooking. Ruhe chose salmon. She added different vegetables in along with it. These included onions, peppers, and many other things. Eventually, after an hour of hard work, both dishes were done and Klein rang the bell to end the challenge. **(A/N I still wanted to keep this challenge in, but I realized it's just boring to read about someone cooking. So skipping the entirety of the cooking.)**

"Alright, Ruhe and Chosaint decided to completely ignore the difficult part of this challenge." Klein began.

"I was hurting more than anything." Chosaint said.

"So there's probably no way Dynamm won. Anyways, let's bring out the dishes." Harry brought out both of the dishes and unveiled them. One was a beautifully cooked salmon served along with rice. The other was a burnt piece of something. "Really Dynamm?" Klein asked.

"I said I was our best chef. Not a good one."

"Well it's obvious who won here."

-Later-

"This is your third and final challenge." Klein said.

"Does it really matter? We've already won two challenges." Chosaint pointed out.

"You just have to point out every flaw don't you?"

"Yep."

"Anyways," Klein continued, "This will be a duel. To half health, because we don't want to die and just a first hit duel would be too easy for Chosaint to win. So, only one of you has to fight."

"You're doing it." Ruhe instantly said.

"And you'll be fighting me." Klein finished. "Are you ready?" Chosaint quickly equipped his normal fighting attire and dagger, before simply nodding. Everyone else took a few steps back and Klein sent the duel invitation. The duel screen popped up before Chosaint, who accepted.

A giant countdown appeared over their heads, '10'.

"Good luck." Klein said lowering himself into his fighting stance, '8'.

"You too." Chosaint replied, '6'. '5, 4, 3, 2, 1'. The timer finally hit zero, and the fight began. Chosaint quickly rushed forward and activated a sword skill. He passed by Klein first without hitting him. Expecting a hit, the guild leader bunkered down for a block. Only Chosaint didn't hit him. Right as Klein turned around, the agility type player flashed forward again, and landed a decent slash on Klein. The dirty blonde slowed to a stop and the red haired player rushed forward this a sideways slash. Chosaint dodged backwards, and rushed inwards again. The dagger wielder slashed horizontally, but Klein blocked it. Next was a vertical slash, but this was yet again blocked. Klein then kicked his opponent I the chest, sending him skidding backwards. The guild leader then rushed forwards closing the gap between the two. He was able to connect a quick horizontal slash, before Chosaint regain his bearing. The two duelers rushed towards each other, but Chosaint had a plan. Klein tried to connect a horizontal slash but missed. The agility type player jumped into the air and placed one hand onto his opponent's shoulder. He then rolled over Klein's shoulder, and quickly slashed his back, before making even more distance between the two. The two opponents charged at each other once more, but as Klein tried to slash he missed once again. This time Chosaint had slid in between the other player's legs. Popping back up behind him, Chosaint kicked the back of Klein's knee. He then pushed down on the guild leader's back, forcing him to the ground. As Klein rolled over to find a dagger at his throat.

"Nicely played." Klein commented, but the fight wasn't over yet. Klein punched Chosaint in the stomach and rolled his opponent off of him. Klein quickly stood up, and attacked once more. Chosaint put too much ground between the two. There was a small moment of peace and in this moment both players received a message. It was from Asuna, titled 'Meeting'. Both players looked at each other, before closing the message without reading it.

The two quickly began to close the distance between each other. Chosaint led with a strong slash, which Klein blocked. However, this knocked the guild leader off balance. The dagger wielder capitalized on this and stabbed at his opponent's chest. The samurai dodged to the right, but was still nicked by the blade. Chosaint then spun and slashed at Klein's legs, but was blocked. As Klein pivoted on his foot, Chosaint tried to stab him it the back. The red haired player was able to bring his katana behind him in time to block the strike. He then completed his rotation and slashed upwards. The dirty blonde managed to block the first strike, but was sloppy in defending from the stab that followed. Klein's blade was able to penetrate slightly into Chosaint, before he rolled away. Klein advanced and slashed horizontally, but had his feet taken out for under him by Chosaint, who had ducked the strike and swept his legs. Klein quickly rolled backwards and up onto his feet once more. Both players separated and looked at their health bars. It was obvious to both that the next hit would end the match. Taking a second to readjust themselves, the two began to circle each other. Chosaint's patience then wore thin as he dashed forward. The agility type player unleashed an onslaught of attacks, but was unable to land a hit. Chosaint then leapt into the air, and stabbed towards the ground. Klein rolled out of the way in time, and Chosaint was only able to stab the ground. Klein then rushed forwards for the final blow, but another message popped up in front of him. The same happened to Chosaint, who rolled away from the strike. Both players were alarmed by the title of the message. 'Boss.'

Deciding to take quick break, the two players opened the message. It read, "To anyone wanting to join the next boss fight, we have found the eleventh floor boss. You have five minutes before the tactics meeting begins. As I said in my previous message, we will be meeting in the tavern in Taft. See you there.  
>-Asuna."<p>

"Well, looks like we have to go." Klein said to everyone.

"Why?" Ruhe asked.

"The boss has been found. We have a meeting in five minutes." Chosaint answered.

"Then who won the duel?" Dale asked.

Klein turned around just in time to see Chosaint slash into his leg. "I did." The agility type player announced as the winner icon appeared above his head.

"Cheap shot." Klein said.

"Still won. Anyways, let's get moving. The meeting is in Taft's tavern."

Ruhe gave Chosaint a quick kiss, before the male members of the Fuurinkazan began to head into town. Chosaint looked back to see Ruhe walking back into the hotel they used as a temporary base. "Let's just hope we make quicker progress than we have been." He thought as turned forward again and continued down the street.

* * *

><p><strong>BOSS FIGHT! Yes, the second boss fight I have ever written is the next chapter, hopefully. I'm kinda worried about it, because it'll probably be hard to write, but oh well, I'll give it my best shot. I'm always open for ideas on bosses, so if you have one feel free to pm it to me. Well, that's about it so don't forget to leave a pm or review, I always love hearing from my readers. Bye :D<strong>


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